‘The Defenders’: Can We Talk About That Crazy Luke Cage/Claire Temple Scene?

***Spoilers for Marvel’s The Defenders Episode 1***

Something earth-shattering happens to one of our favorite Netflix/Marvel characters in the very first episode of Marvel’s The Defenders. Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) finally gets that “coffee” with Luke Cage (Mike Colter). That’s right. Claire and Luke finally do the horizontal hustle. It’s quick, it’s passionate, and it causes damage to Claire’s apartment.

But what about Claire?

Over at Decider HQ, we found ourselves asking a very awkward question: How is Claire Temple still alive after shtupping Luke Cage like that?

GIF: Netflix

Here’s the deal: Luke Cage is a super strong and physically invulnerable superhero. He’s also a sweetheart. We’ve seen him romance a number of ladies in the past, but with the exception of the equally super-strong Jessica Jones, he’s always shown some…restraint. Here there was none of that, and considering Claire Temple is an ordinary woman, how is she okay? Let’s dive into this!

Meghan: So Brett…should Claire Temple be dead at the end of episode 1? I, as a woman watching that scene, felt myself cringe a little at the speed and force of the encounter. Even if you don’t take Luke’s super strength into account, that sex scene was a lot to handle, which only makes her ability to rebound all that more surprising. Any theories?

Brett: First of all: yeah. I just rewatched the scene and it is an intense affair, to be sure. The camera gets in close, the editing is fast-paced, there’s a lot of grabbing and thrusting and things knocking over–it is passionate and rough and also a long time coming. (Meghan: Heh. “Coming.”) Claire and Luke are great together! I’m glad that got coffee! But still, like you said, Luke is a powerful superhero and him holding back and then letting loose with Jessica Jones was a major plot point. It doesn’t look like he was holding back here! My theory…? Maybe they cut out the scene where they very matter-of-factly established some safe sex ground rules?

Meghan: That would make sense. You know, anything extraneous to the plot here is probably on the cutting room floor. Of course, being that I enjoy breaking down sex scenes to dig at any hidden meanings in them — and because I just wrote a whole essay about how each previous “Defenders” series has tackled sex in a way that reflects the ethos of the show’s titular hero — I wonder if the scene is supposed to say something about The Defenders as a show.

What we’ve got is a long-awaited union between two Marvel characters. What we’ve also got is a super-powered love scene. Maybe the “force” of it all was there to signal to the audience that The Defenders is a powered up version of the other four stand alone series? Am I reading too much into this?

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Brett: When it comes to comics and the media they spawn, no, there is no such thing as “reading too much into” anything. And that scene was also the most forceful, fast-paced, and intense lovemaking we’ve seen on any Netflix/Marvel series to date? This theory kinda maps. I think I actually did laugh out loud (in a good way!) at how intense it was, because it was so unexpected considering how the Netflix shows have treated sex in the past.

I mean, also, Claire and Luke’s hookup is the kinda fan service that I don’t think anyone’s gonna complain about. These two spent all of Luke Cage circling each other, and in Defenders episode 1–immediately after they reconnect!–the show delivers. That’s not the case when it comes to getting all four of the Defenders together; the show delays that gratification until the end of episode 3. Maybe the Claire/Luke scene was a way to give the fans what they want because the brains behind the show knew they were gonna hold off on other, less carnal meetings.

Meghan: Does it perhaps signal that Claire may be more than just an “ordinary” woman? I’m currently on episode 7, but even without giving away spoilers, Claire has been struggling with understanding what her role in the larger Defenders universe is. Maybe there’s a reason she’s the one who’s met each individual Defender before they became a group. Maybe Claire is…a superhero??

Brett: She’s definitely been training for it, as we saw in Iron Fist (for those that watched Iron Fist)! And superheroes, even the ones without super strength or durability, still tend to be pretty strong and durable. I mean, in all actuality, Claire survived against a hospital full of ninjas and a flight to China with Danny Rand going on and on about destiny. She’s pretty damn strong! And I am all for more super-powered women in the Marvel Universe. Claire’s shown an affinity for those claw-like weapons–I say let her put them to use!

Photo: Netflix

Meghan: That is a fair point. Also, at the end of the day, these are shows about superheroes and resurrected ninjas and dudes punching dragons. Realism is not exactly the goal. So maybe we should just enjoy the fun of the scene and stop thinking too much about it? (Though, again, as a lady, may I say “OW?”)

Brett: Exactly. And with so much going on in The Defenders, there’s only so much room for sexiness in these eight action-packed episodes. Gotta get it on screen, right away, and get on to the ninjas and resurrections and all that! And also, at least they didn’t break a lot of furniture, because I imagine that’s gotta get expensive to replace.